


My Brother's Keeper

by Kessle_Harper



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, Discussions of Black Family Tree, Family Drama, Gen, Intrigue, Jewish Identity, Listen war is hell, Murder, Self-Harm, Suicide, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:01:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27239965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kessle_Harper/pseuds/Kessle_Harper
Summary: Tracey Davis was a perfectly unremarkable girl- in a literal sense, she was rarely remarked upon. On the path to become a clerk at her uncle's apothecary, she is the last person in her year that anyone would expect to join Voldemort's ranks. So it comes as a surprise when the dust settles at the end of the war and she bears a dark mark and an ambiguous list of crimes. Will she be able to separate the truth from the lies and more importantly will she ever be forgiven?Basically, book seven from the point of view of a random Slytherin who is Not Having A Good Time.
Relationships: Tracey Davis/Blaise Zabini, Tracey Davis/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	My Brother's Keeper

**Author's Note:**

> To Shira

“This session of the war tribunal has been convened to hear the case of one Tirza, Tracey Davis. She stands accused of acts of torture, treason, and murder. How does she plead?”

“The defense pushes for deferment on the grounds of sanity, Ms. Davis has not spoken since she was moved from Azkaban seven weeks ago. The defense holds that the intense mental strain that she has been placed under the past six months has led to a mental break, and she is not currently fit to stand trial.”

The judge turned to me, and possibly as some kind of jest, said, “Do you have anything you wish to add, Ms. Davis?”

I stood up. “My name is Tirza Davis, I am of sound body and mind. I plead guilty to the charges brought forward against me of treason and murder, and for these crimes may I ask that I be executed as I believe it is fitting for my crimes.”

The court fell dead silent.

“Your honor, might I request a recess?” My barrister offered tentatively.

“Recess granted,” said the Judge banging the gavel.

Two guards grabbed my arms and dragged me off.

“You finally decide to speak and that’s what you say,” my solicitor said, throwing a file down on the table in front of me.

I shrugged. I didn’t know why he was taking this so personally.

“Great, you’re still not talking, and we can no longer claim you had a complete mental breakdown.” He sighed and opened the file. “Can you at least tell me what is true?”

I looked down at the news clippings. Sliding the pieces of paper around, I examined some of the headlines. _DEATH EATER PROPAGANDIST TO STAND TRIAL_. It was a picture of me being brought into the courtroom in the ministry a few hours earlier. I barely recognized myself. My cheeks were sunken in and my blonde hair hung around my chest. For nearly 190 cm tall, I looked rather small. _INNOCENT YOUNG GIRL SEDUCED BY DEATH EATER CASSANOVA_ \- a Rita Skeeter byline of course. It was an old picture of me and Draco, probably fifth year or so. He didn’t look like he was dying. The picture was cut to seem like a portrait of the two of us, but I remembered taking the picture. Pansy took it I think, a group shot in Slytherin Common room. _WHAT COULD HAVE LED HER TO THIS?_ It was a picture of my family, an old one. I must have been seven when it was taken, I’m sitting on my father’s lap, and Gideon and Roger are on either side of me. 

I looked up at the young solicitor. He stared at me with wide eyes, like I was some sort of entertaining zoo animal.

“Well, I didn’t have a torrid love affair with Draco.”

“You’re being funny,” he said in frustration. “You need to take this seriously, you’re on trial for treason, this is life or…”

“Death?” I offered. “I’m well aware.”

He paused. “Why do you want to get executed?”

I moved the clippings around. “That’s none of your concern.” I began to skim the Rita Skeeter excerpt. Apparently, I’m a “vivacious vixen.” Doesn’t really go with the whole young and innocent thing, I thought to myself.

“Fine.” He said. “Let’s talk about something else then, when did you become a blood purist?”

“Bit of a loaded question, don’t you think?” I said, looking up.

“Well your parents were well known muggle sympathizers, so were your brothers, you took NEWT Muggle Studies. If Draco didn’t make you a blood purist, what did?”

I went back to looking at the clippings. “Simple, I’m not a blood purist.”

“What?”

“You heard correctly.” I raised my left hand as though I was taking an oath “I, Tirza Davis, am not now, nor have I ever been a blood purist.”

He furrowed his brow. “You’re a death eater.”

“ _Was_. Last time I checked the ministry disbanded the death eaters.”

“The essays you wrote about blood purity were published in the daily prophet.”

“One can easily write and say things one does not believe, surely a man in a profession such as yours is keenly aware.” Rita Skeeter quoted an unnamed Slytherin girl as saying “[Davis] was so quiet, no one would have expected her”. Did that sound like something Pansy would say? It could have been Daphne. Would Daphne even talk to Skeeter?

“You tortured people.”

My eyes shot up from the folder. “No.”

“No?”

“I didn’t-” I couldn’t form the rest of the sentence. The words felt stuck.

“Listen.” He said softly in something approximating a soothing voice. “Just tell me what happened. I don’t have to put anything in the report that you don’t want me to, but I need you to be honest.”

“Just let me be executed.” I pleaded.

“Miss Davis, I can’t do anything if I don’t have a case to make and neither can the court. If you continue to say nothing, in all likelihood, you will be committed until you can properly stand trial.”

We just sat there staring at each other for a while. The last thing I want is to be committed to St. Mungos, I looked down at the clippings. _SAINT OR SINNER: DAVIS’S PLACE IS UNCLEAR_. The image was me from a distance at the battle of Hogwarts. They didn’t know what to make of me.

“Fine.” I said, “Where do you want me to start?”

“At the beginning.” He took out a notebook.

“You have to be more specific than that.”

“Tell me about your childhood.”

I took a deep breath. “I was a troubled child. I, uh, liked to torture small animals. It started small, I used to catch mice and chipmunks. Then one day I stole a neighbor’s cat, oh the way the blood pooled-” I looked him dead in the eyes. “I think that’s when my insatiable bloodlust began.”

He swallowed, his eyes wide.

“Merlin! You should see the look on your face.” I threw my head back in laughter.

He shuffled slightly in his seat.

“You’re not going to uncover anything interesting. I had a perfectly normal childhood. For a Blishwick, at least. My parents were healers who met during the first wizarding war. I was the second of three children. We spent the summers at the campgrounds. Perfectly normal.”

“I’ve been unable to locate your medical records. When they did your intake exam, they found evidence of naturally healed bones and scaring on your chest. Can you-“he hesitated, “Can you tell me how it happened?”

“I’d rather not.”

“There’s no shame in it, you know, you were a child when some of the bones were broken. You couldn’t have stopped them-”

“I’m sorry what?”

“It’s just that sometimes the people we love-”

“You think my parents abused me?”

“Not necessarily your parents but why didn’t they heal your wounds?”

“My parents were good people.”

“Even good people-”

I rubbed my fingers against my temples. “No.” I took a deep breath. “When I was nine years old my father died in a mechanical accident. I was injured as well, muggle paramedics found me. I was brought to a hospital, but it took a few weeks for my family to locate me. By then my leg had partly healed. Happy?”

“Some of the breaks are newer-”

“I like to get into fights.” I stopped him before he could speculate further.

“What?”

“I get into fist fights, sanctioned fights. Martial arts, boxing that sort of thing. Just ask Seamus Finnigan, he and I ran the fight club fourth year.”

“There was a fight club?”

“Yes.”

“And you ran it?”

“I have a fair amount of muscle when I’m not being kept in a sub-basement twenty-three hours a day.”

“Right.” 

“Just ask me what you really want to know.”

He leaned forward. “When was the first time you used dark arts?”

“In dark arts class, if you can believe it.”

…

“I can’t believe they’re making us take two new classes seventh year.” I said, as I threw my long braid over my shoulder.

“I can’t believe they’re taught by deatheaters,” said Millie turning around her chair. “No offense,” she added as an aside to Draco, who shrugged it off with an eye roll.

“If I pass this year, I’ll count it a win,” Alice said, fiddling with her quill.

Millicent looked over at the students on the other side of the aisle. “Do you think it was a mistake to put us with the Gryfindors?”

“At least this way half of the class will do the coursework,” I said with a giggle.

Just then Amycus Carrow pushed open the door and waddled to the front of the classroom. “Welcome students,” he said with all the confidence of a thirteen-year-old boy talking to a girl for the first time. He went to the board and scratched out the words Dark Arts in jagged handwriting.

“So today we are going to learn a simple spell, Electro.”

There were small snickers on the Gryffindor side of the room. He pulled a small pygmy puff out from under his desk. “It’s simple really, you just point your wand, think of pain, and Electro.”

There was an audible gasp as we watched the small creature shake and jerk about. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air.

“Alright everyone, queue up and take a puff,” he said, moving the basket of small furry creatures on top of the desk.

We all sat there a little dumbfounded for a second. But some Slytherins got up and then some of the Gryffindors.

I followed Millie into line and then returned to my seat. The creature was small and warm and well- adorable.

I raised my wand. Think of pain, I thought. “Electro” I said forcefully. The puff turned a dreadful shade of black.

“Excellent job, I’m sorry what is your name again?” said Carrow.

“Tirza Davis.” I said, not looking away from the pygmy puff.

“This absurd,” said a voice I recognized. “Torturing animals is psychopathic.”

“Oh, you prefer we torture people then,” he said with newfound courage. “Come to the front of the room.”

The boy refusing to back down walked to the front of the room.

“Theresa, was it? Why don’t you perform a live demonstration?” he said, gesturing to me.

I got up from behind the desk and walked up to the front of the room. Carrow shoved the boy to his knees. 

“She won’t do that, she’s my sister-”

I just raised my wand and said, “Electro”

The whole room was silent as the boy’s body contorted.

…

“You tortured your own brother?”

“Tortured is a strong word especially given the… colorful things Lestrange did during the war. I gave him a slight electric shock. Frankly dealing with my friends afterwards was worse.”

“Your friends were upset you hurt your brother?”

“You could say that.”

…

“You never told me you were Jewish,” Blaise said, grabbing my arm as we walked out of Dark Arts.

“Are we just ignoring the fact that she has a brother she’s literally never mentioned,” said Millie standing next to Alice.

“Is that a problem for you?” I said moving my arm from his grip.

“Tracey, you know what I mean.”

“No, frankly I don’t.” I said scoffing.

“I guess we’re ignoring it then,” said Millie sliding between the squabbling couple.

“We’re together, how come it never came up?”

“Oh, we’re together now, you could have fooled me.” I said, raising my voice.

“Tracey.” Blaise said the frustration about to burst the surface of his demeanor.

“What? You’re the one who wanted to make a fuss of this.”

“I knew she was Jewish,” said Draco coolly as he walked past.

“Thank you, Draco.” My voice dripped with sarcasm as I swiftly turned away from Blaise and proceeded down the hall.

Alice ran to catch up with me and left Blaise behind.

“Honestly Alice, I don’t know who Blaise thinks he is, talking to me that way” I said speed walking. She ran to catch up with my long legs. “My background does not matter nor should it have ever mattered. Right Alice?”

“I-“

“It’s the sort of behavior I’d expect from Draco but even he doesn’t care that I’m Jewish.”

“Tracey-”

“Frankly if he wanted to know that about me he could have-“

“Tirza.” she said and I stopped. “Why didn’t you tell me you had a brother?”

“You didn’t ask.” I said quietly.

…

My solicitor stuttered for a second. “Your friends cared more that you didn’t tell them that you had a brother more than the fact that you tortured him.”

“Like I said, I didn’t torture my brother and yes.”

“Also, you never told your friends that you had a brother?”

“We’re Slytherins, we don’t talk.”

“Why didn’t you tell Alice? She sounded upset.”

“Like I said, it never came up.”

“It never came up that you had a twin brother?”

I nodded “What’s your point?”

“Nothing, never mind. This Blaise fellow, you two… were dating?”

I groaned. “In a way, yes.”

“What do you mean?”

“How exactly is this relevant to my case?”

“I need as much information on you as possible, who knows what’s helpful. Maybe Blaise can serve as a character witness.”

“I doubt it.” I said “He asked me to Yule ball fourth year and to Slughorn’s Christmas party when he was in the Slug Club. We fooled around a bunch, nothing serious.”

“It didn’t sound like something not serious.”

“Can we talk about something other than my lovelife?” 

“Fine, let’s talk about your brother, then? How did he react to your actions?”

“Well…”

…

“ _I can’t believe you!_ ” Gideon said in Hebrew.

Professor Prince shushed him aggressively. What with it being the library and all.

“What exactly can’t you believe?” I said in English. There were only two other students in NEWT Wizarding history, but no reason to exclude them from this conversation.

“That you would torture your own brother!” he said in a bitter whisper.

“Would you prefer someone else torture you?” I said not even looking up from my book.

“Are they always like this?” said Thais to Alice.

“I have no clue, he’s as new as you are,” Alice said.

“I thought they were siblings.”

“Oh, they are,” said Alice. “Hey Tracey, why don’t you show Thais where the books on the goblin revolution are.”

“Fine.” I said closing my book and getting up. 

I lead her into the stacks.

“Is it always like that with your brother?”

“Oh, only when I electrocute him.”

“Is that a common practice at Hogwarts?”

“You mean they don’t have a torture graduation requirement at Beaubatons?” I said in mock offense. I pulled down a tome on the Goblin Revolution and handed it to her before adding. “Are you sure you want to write your thesis on that? You know you can write it on anything.”

“I know a fair amount about it.”

“Fair enough.”

“What are you writing on?”

“The Black family tree, I’m trying to prove that all purebloods are roughly speaking fourth cousins.”

“Topical.” She said

“Eh, Alice is writing about the Great Wizarding War and the torturers of the time.”

“Ooh,” she said as we turned the corner.

Alice and Gideon were sitting next to each other. Alice giggled at some private joke.

“Glad to see you two are getting along.” I said.

“What, I’m not allowed to make jokes with your friends?”

“I was just making an observation.”

“Somehow your arguing has already become annoying.” Said Thais.

“How about we call a ceasefire?” Alice timidly offered. “For this class at least,”

…

“How come your brother hadn’t been attending Hogwarts previously?”

“He had gone to school in Israel, but with the school mandate he had to return home.”

“Why Israel?”

“My father was Israeli.”

“You don’t sound Israeli.”

“And you don’t usually sound like a moron, and yet?” I pursed my lips before he could muster a half-hearted apology. “Can we get back to the matter at hand?”

He shifted. “You made jokes about torture. Things were that normal?”

I swallowed. “It was never that things were normal. I mean, how could they be, a third of the student body was missing. It was more that… things were heightened. In the beginning at least, the war was very far away and would only show up occasionally.”

…

It was a week into classes when I found Alice crying in the Slytherin girl’s bathroom before dinner.

“You alright?”

“I’m fine,” she said, forcing a smile as she sniffled.

“Sure,” I said as I leaned up against the side of the stall. “You want to talk about it?”

“I got a letter,” she said quietly and handed it to me.

The letter was an official ministry communique, a letter of warning. _The Ministry is writing to inform you that a member of your family has been sanctioned._

“Alice, I’m so sorry,” I said, not even bothering to read any more.

“He didn’t do it willingly! It’s not even his fault.” She pressed her crossed arms into her chest.

“What happened?”

“Harry Potter” she said softly as though if it was like _you-know-who_ and if you said it loud enough, he’d appear. “… impersonated my father.”

“That’s horrible.” I said. “Truly.”

“I don’t even know what it means that he’s been sanctioned.” Her voice cracked like she was going to start crying again. “It just says that we’re ‘under suspicion’ whatever that means.”

“You’ll be okay, you’re a Slytherin. We never get caught for shit.”

She gave a choked laugh.

“Everyone’s under suspicion, they’re just trying to freak you out. Don’t let them,” I said.

She smiled. “Yeah, yeah.”

“Let’s get you cleaned up, I hear it’s pumpkin soup for dinner.”

There were smaller things too. It’s customary for Slytherin and Gryffindor to, for lack of a better term, trash talk each other. We gather out in the courtyard and hurl insults. I’d like to say it’s a battle of wits but it’s not.

It was a week into classes and Crabbe was challenging Finnigan. What started as a series of insults about their mothers devolved into:

“What you’re gonna run back to your little mudblood boyfriend?” said Crabbe.

“Oh wait.” Said Goyle. “He’s not here.”

I could see Seamus’ hand tighten on his wand and his shoulders tense. Neville seemed to notice too as he put his hand on Seamus’ arm.

I put myself in between the goons and Seamus. I looked Crabbe in the eye. “I think you’ve had an enough fun.”

“I’m not done.” Said Crabbe.

I turned to Seamus and then back to Crabbe. “I think we should all walk away before someone does something stupid.” 

…

“Thomas and Finnigan were actually dating, and Thomas was on the run on the account of him being muggleborn.”

“That’s terrible.”

“Indeed.”

“Did anyone ever ask you to join Dumbledore’s Army? Finnigan perhaps?”

I laughed. “No. I was aware of their existence, everyone was. But come on, I’m a seventh year Slytherin, just because I’m in the possession of basic respect doesn’t mean I was prime recruitment material. Children of God, though I did get recruited for.”

“Children of God?”

“Of the students who were, how shall we say… unwitting transfers from other institutions, a nontrivial percentage were religious. Usually similar reasons to my brother. Take Thais, she was Muslim and had opted for Beaubaton on account of their large Muslim population. However, there was never enough from any one religion to form a group, so they just formed a large interfaith coalition. Moving, really.” I quipped.

“And you were involved with them?”

“Involved is a strong word, I assisted them on two occasions.”

…

“Why can’t we use a classroom?” said Thais.

“Then we’d have to get permission from the professor, and it becomes a whole thing,” said Gideon.

“Madame Vestra would probably give you permission, and she doesn’t run that many class sections,” said Alice, who wasn’t even religious.

“Why don’t you just use the shrine in the dungeon?” I said, not bothering to look up from my book. 

“The what?” said Alice.

“The Shrine of St. Agnes, it was built in the 12th century by some Christian students. Honestly, have none of you read _Hogwarts, A History_?”

“In my defense, I have only been attending school here for three weeks, two days, and sixteen hours,” said Gideon.

“In my defense, it’s a very boring book,” said Alice.

“I’ll show you where it is. C’mon, let’s go,” I said shutting the book in front of me and giving up on doing anything productive that day.

I led them down into the dungeons. The shrine was in a room that remained mostly unfinished. It was made to look like a cave with stone pews.

I welcomed them into the room and gestured to the statue of a girl holding a lamb. “Blessed be the holy virgin Agnes.” I did a mock sign of the cross.

“That’s awfully rude,” said Alice.

“What? She was a holy virgin, her hair grew to cover her and the men who tried to grope her were struck blind,” I said.

“I think she meant the sign of the cross,” said Gideon.

“Since when do you care.” I said.

“We need to clean it up,” said Thais.

“Yeah, we can make it work,” said Gideon.

And they did. They met twice a week on Fridays and Sundays. Of course, two weeks later, the Carrows reinstituted Umbridge’s policies.

I sat down next to Gideon at breakfast.

“Isn’t your table over there?” He said buttering his toast.

I leaned over to him and said, “When you go before Carrow, you should take me with you.”

“What?” He looked up at me.

“It’s going to look better for the Children of God if a member of the inquisitorial squad is there pleading your case. It’ll make you look less…” I struggled to think of a polite way to phrase it. “counter cultural.”

“But we are” He made air quotes. “counter cultural.”

“Gideon.” I said through gritted teeth.

“Since when do you care about Children of God, last time I checked you wanted nothing to do with it.”

“I don’t, but I know you’re going to keep meeting even if you aren’t approved.”

He shot me a look as if to say, are you going to report me?

I rolled my eyes. “Listen, if you’re going to be arrested for treason, I’d rather it not be because you’re saying the Lord’s prayer with your new Christian friends.” 

“Fine.” He muttered. “You can come.”

“Great.” I said and swiped his other piece of toast. I stood up and gave him a smile. “See you then.” I said punctuating my statement with a bite of the toast.

Alecto Carrow was only slightly surprised to see me in her office with Thais and Gideon.

“You’re a part of the Children of God?” she said.

“Despite my best efforts.” I muttered.

This threw her for a second. “Alright. So, explain to me why your club should be allowed to continue.”

“We provide an important service to the religious students of this school.” said Thais. “Without us, it would be impossible for many of students to engage in worship.”

“And why exactly should we let you engage in worship?”

“It’s our tradition-” said Thais.

“A muggle tradition.” Said Carrow.

Thais sat there her mouth agape at the allegation.

I however was prepared. “While yes, we do share some these traditions with the muggles, what is religion if not a celebration of magic?” 

“What?” Said Professor Carrow.

“Parting oceans, turning water into wine. What is it if not magic? And what is celebrating those miracles if not celebrating magic?”

“That may be Miss Davis, but this club is full of new students, many of whom have muggle sympathies.”

“I do not appreciate what you are implying about me Professor Carrow.” I said in seemingly real offense. “There are several students such as myself, Goldstein, and Corner, who are religious but come from long pureblood lineages and have attended Hogwarts for years. Are you implying just because I believe in God that I have muggle sympathies?”

“Not you but there are plenty of other students-”

“And what said students are going to interrupt our prayer service to discuss their disdain for the Dark Lord? We meet so students can pray, that’s all.” I said. “Besides why would a student express such things in the presence of a member of the inquisitorial squad?”

“That is fair.” Said Professor Carrow. “I suppose if you are present for the meetings and they are about celebrating the superiority of magic. I can approve it.”

She signed a slip and handed it to me.

We muttered thanks and hurried out of the office before she could change her mind.

“That went better than I thought it was going to.” Said Thais. She turned to me. “You have our thanks.”

“Don’t speak for me.” Gideon crossed his arms. “Why did have to make us sound so fascistic? Pureblood lineages and celebrations of magic? Do you even hear yourself?”

“What was I supposed to do? Making you sound like you’re in line with the regime was the only way to get your club approved.” I said.

“I rather we be denied for something we are than approved for something we’re not.”

“Do you think I’m actually going to report you and your little friends for sedition?”

“I wouldn’t put it past you.” He said and then promptly turned and walked down the hall.

“Ignore him.” Said Thais. “I am grateful.”

“Thanks.” I said.

He had his revenge on me two days later. We were in History of Magic and I turned a corner in the stacks and there he was with Alice. Kissing.

I loudly closed the book I was holding and startled them. “I’m not sure which I should be more bothered by the fact that you’re snogging my best friend or the fact that you’re doing it in the library of all places.”

“This isn’t any of your business.”

“Sure.” I said and rolled my eyes. Not wanting to see them snog further, I walked away.

“Wait Tracey.” Alice said as she ran after me.

I whipped around to face her. “My brother, really?” I whispered. “I know there’s a dearth of eligible bachelors in seventh year, but you had to get caught up in his attempt to get back at me?”

She looked taken aback. “Tracey, this isn’t about you. I like him.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I’m sorry. That was mean of me to say but Alice, please be careful. He’s dangerous.”

She laughed in my face. “He’s a dork, he’d never hurt me.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Oh.”

“Just don’t get caught up in some Gryfindor crusade for valor.”

“I won’t.” she said.

“Also, if you discuss his penis size with Pansy, I do not want to be present for that.”

“Oh, for sure.” She said giggling.

…

“Do you think your brother really got with her to get back at you?”

I shrugged. “I doubt it but it’s what it felt like.”

The door buzzed and a nurse walked in. “It’s time for Davis to return to her room.”

My solicitor looked conflicted.

“I’ll still be here tomorrow.” I said. “and the day after that and the day after that.”

“Till tomorrow.” He said.

“Till tomorrow.” I returned.


End file.
